Companion Code of Conduct

1. Professional Conduct and Client Boundaries

1.1 General Standards

• Companions must treat all clients and their family members with dignity, respect, and patience at all times.
• Companions must arrive on time, prepared, and in a presentable, professional state for every engagement.
• Companions must not engage in conduct that demeans, embarrasses, intimidates, or manipulates a client.
• Companions must not form personal or romantic relationships with clients or their immediate family members.
• Companions must not discuss personal financial matters, solicit gifts, loans, or donations from clients or family members in any form.

1.2 Physical Boundaries

• Physical contact with clients must be limited to what is necessary, consensual, and appropriate to the agreed scope of service.
• Companions must never engage in any conduct of a sexual nature with a client under any circumstances. Violation of this provision will result in immediate permanent removal and referral to law enforcement.

2. Financial Integrity

• Companions are strictly prohibited from accepting cash, gifts, loans, property, or any item of value directly from clients or their family members outside of payments processed through the Buddy Care platform.
• Companions must not borrow money from, lend money to, or enter into any financial arrangement with a client or family member.
• Companions must not access, handle, or be present during access to a client's financial accounts, banking instruments, credit cards, checkbooks, or estate documents under any circumstances.
• Any attempt to influence a client's financial decisions, estate, or beneficiary designations constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal and referral to the appropriate authorities.

3. Mandatory Reporting Obligations

Companions are mandatory reporters of the following and must report to the appropriate authorities as required by applicable law and notify Buddy Care concurrently. These reporting obligations apply to all clients and are required by law for any client who meets the definition of an incapacitated adult under applicable state law. No approval from Buddy Care is required before a Companion makes a mandatory statutory report:

• Any suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a client, whether by the Companion or any third party.
• Any medical emergency or sudden change in a client's health condition, including falls, loss of consciousness, or expressions of self-harm.
• Any situation in which the Companion believes a client is in immediate danger.
• Any request or pressure from a family member or third party that the Companion believes may harm the client's interests.

Failure to report any of the above may constitute a violation of applicable state law, in addition to a breach of this Code.

4. Confidentiality

• All information relating to a client's identity, health, finances, family circumstances, and living situation is strictly confidential.
• Companions must not disclose client information to any third party, including family members not directly involved in the booking, without explicit written authorization.
• Confidentiality obligations survive the termination of a Companion's account and remain in effect indefinitely.
• Companions must not discuss clients on any social media platform or public forum, regardless of whether the client is identified by name.

5. Photography, Recording, and Privacy

• Companions must not photograph, record audio, or record video of clients or their property without explicit prior written consent.
• Recording of any kind in a client's home without consent may constitute a violation of applicable wiretapping and privacy statutes.
• Companions must not post any image, video, or identifying information related to a client or their home on any platform.

6. Substance Use

• Companions must not consume alcohol or any controlled substance before or during an engagement, regardless of duration.
• Companions must not be under the influence of any substance, whether prescription or otherwise, that impairs judgment, reaction time, or the ability to provide safe care.
• Companions who take prescription medication that specifically impairs judgment, reaction time, or the ability to provide safe care must disclose this to Buddy Care in advance of any engagement.
• Violation of this section will result in immediate suspension and review for permanent removal.

7. Scope of Services and Unauthorized Conduct

• Companions must not perform medical procedures, administer medications, or provide any service that constitutes the practice of medicine or nursing without the appropriate licensure, regardless of client request.
• Transportation of a client as a passenger is not an included service for Standard Companions. Only Companions who have completed Buddy Care's Verified Driver enrollment and received explicit approval may transport a client as a passenger. Standard Companions may operate a personal vehicle for the purpose of running errands on behalf of a client, such as picking up groceries or prescriptions, provided the client is not present in the vehicle. Standard Companions must not transport a client as a passenger under any circumstances. Arranging third-party transportation for a client, such as coordinating a rideshare service or contacting a family member for pickup, is permitted and does not constitute a violation of this section.
• Companions must not allow unauthorized persons, including friends, family members, or acquaintances, to be present during an engagement without prior written approval from the client and Buddy Care.
• Companions must not perform services beyond the scope of what was agreed at booking without documented approval.

8. Background Check and Ongoing Accuracy

• Companions must consent to and pass all background screening required by Buddy Care, including checks facilitated through third-party providers such as Checkr, as a mandatory condition of platform access. No Companion profile will be activated until a background check has been completed and cleared. Companions must immediately notify Buddy Care of any criminal charge, arrest, conviction, or adverse finding occurring after their initial background check is completed. Failure to disclose constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal from the platform and may constitute fraud under applicable law.
• Providing false, incomplete, or misleading information during the background check process or at any point thereafter constitutes grounds for immediate permanent removal and may constitute fraud under applicable law.

9. Enforcement and Consequences

Violations of this Code are evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Buddy Care reserves the right to take any of the following actions, individually or in combination, depending on the nature and severity of the violation:

• Formal written warning
• Temporary suspension pending investigation
• Permanent removal from the platform
• Withholding of pending compensation where permitted by applicable law
• Referral to law enforcement or adult protective services

Buddy Care's determination of a violation and the resulting consequence shall be final and binding. Companions acknowledge that Buddy Care owes no obligation to reinstate any account that has been suspended or terminated for cause.

10. Vehicle and Transportation Requirements

10.1 Standard Companions

Transporting a client as a passenger is not an authorized service for Standard Companions. Standard Companions are prohibited from transporting a client as a passenger in any personal or third-party vehicle, regardless of client request or compensation offered. Standard Companions may operate a personal vehicle to run errands on behalf of a client, provided the client is not present in the vehicle. Arranging third-party transportation for a client is permitted. Violation of the prohibition on passenger transportation constitutes an immediate breach of this Code.

10.2 Verified Driver Companions

Companions who wish to offer transportation services must complete Buddy Care's Verified Driver enrollment. Enrollment requires submission and approval of all of the following before any transportation service may be offered or performed:

• Valid, unexpired driver's license
• Proof of auto insurance with a commercial auto endorsement, evidenced by a declarations page submitted at enrollment. Standard personal auto policies and rideshare endorsements are not acceptable.
• Minimum liability coverage of $100,000 per person / $300,000 per occurrence for bodily injury
• Current vehicle registration
• Clean driving record as verified through Buddy Care's background screening process

Verified Driver status is valid for twelve (12) months and must be renewed annually. Companions must immediately notify Buddy Care of any lapse in insurance coverage, license suspension, traffic conviction, or at-fault accident. Failure to notify will result in immediate revocation of Verified Driver status and may result in permanent removal from the platform.

10.3 Platform Liability Limitation

Buddy Care is a technology platform and marketplace. It is not a transportation company, care agency, or employer of Companions. Buddy Care does not own, operate, or control any vehicle used by a Companion. All Verified Driver Companions assume full personal liability for any incident, injury, or loss arising from transportation services rendered through the platform. By enrolling as a Verified Driver, each Companion agrees to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Buddy Care, its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, damage, or expense, including reasonable attorneys' fees, arising from their transportation of a client.

11. Governing Law

This Code is governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the State of Delaware, without regard to its conflict-of-law provisions. Nothing in this section displaces mandatory regulatory obligations arising under the law of the state in which services are rendered, including mandatory reporting obligations under applicable adult protective services statutes. Any dispute arising out of or relating to this Code shall be resolved through binding individual arbitration under the Consumer Arbitration Rules of the American Arbitration Association, rather than in court. Arbitration shall take place in the county in which the Companion resides or, at either party's election, via videoconference. Class action and collective claims are expressly waived. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement within 30 days of first accepting the Buddy Care Terms of Service by emailing support@buddycareapp.comwith the subject line “Arbitration Opt-Out.”

12. Platform Integrity

Buddy Care invests in the infrastructure, screening, and accountability systems that make the platform valuable to both Companions and Families. Companions must not circumvent that investment by taking platform relationships off-platform.

• Platform circumvention means accepting or arranging direct payment from a Family met through Buddy Care outside of the platform's payment system.
• The circumvention prohibition applies for twelve (12) months following the date of the last booking between a Companion and a Family processed through the platform.
• Confirmed circumvention by a Companion will result in permanent removal from the platform and forfeiture of any pending earnings. Buddy Care reserves the right to pursue recovery of platform fees that would have been earned on circumvented bookings.
• Nothing in this section prohibits a Companion from independently providing companion or care services to individuals who were not introduced through the Buddy Care platform.

Companion Acknowledgment

By activating a Companion account on Buddy Care, I acknowledge that I have read this Companion Code of Conduct in its entirety, that I understand its terms, and that I agree to be legally bound by it as a condition of my use of the platform. I understand that violation of any provision of this Code may result in my permanent removal from the platform and, where applicable, referral to the appropriate legal authorities.